i am in the process of putting my maule on federal a2500a skis for the first time, and am very excited to play with it on the snow and ice this winter.
i am getting ready to build wheel dollies to move it in and out of the hanger and i am looking for ideas. anyone have any pictures or descriptions of ones they have seen or used?

i plan to make them from 4130 with one removable handle so they are lighter. and they will go over center to lock the wheel down. plan on using old 8.00x6 tires on old 6" wheels (cause thats what i have). any experience? input????
thanks.

Hey UP,

You ever get your ski dollies figured out?

I've been thinking this over too and what I visaulized has been wild and varied. Ithink I may have stumbled on a simple answer a couple of evenings ago in Home Depot. They sell furniture dollies for about $25. The wheels are castering and rated for a relatively heavy load. They are carpeted and easy to stow. The primary drawback as I see it is that you have use a jack our a couple of friends to lift the ski onto it and if there are any bumps to go over it may be difficult. That being said, it is only a theory at this point until I get the hangar built and the plane is on skis next winter.
Lets hear the other options!

i have a plan, and i just ordered materials from wicks.
here's what i'm thinkin...
i got 1.5" aircraft axles (non TSO'ed stuff so its cheap) and i will just swap the maule's tire/wheel assemblies onto the dollies when they come off the plane.
the dollies will have an offset axle that, when rotated, will push the tire down and pick the plane up. i will use a long handle to rotate the tires down. they will go over center and come up against a stop to lock them down.
i am making them from thin walled cro-moly so they will be light enough to carry in the plane if need be.
i should be able to roll the plane right off the ramp and up onto the snow with the 8.00 tires. and if it is too hard to push, a quick burst of lycoming should coax it (although there will be no brakes)
i'll let you know how it all works out when i get them built.

finally done.....
the wheel dollies turned out very nice. and very light (as i hoped)
they work perfectly, and it doesn't really take that much force to lift the plane up onto them. just insert the 48" long handle and pull down... and voila- the plane pops up onto the wheel and raises the ski.
i can get more pics and/or info if anyone else is in need of ideas on how to build a set...

here is a better view of the contraption itself.
made entirely from .065" wall cro-moly tubing.
weight is around 2 pounds a piece without wheels attatched. plus another pound or 2 for the handle.

Very nice design! Are you concerned at all about deformation of the outer ski edge from the foot of the dolly? I guess the ski is strong enough to hold the weight of the plane, but the way it looks to me, that foot-stop is applying a force in a much smaller area. I don't really see another way to do it though without putting the stop on the other side of the ski, where the insert pops thru, and butting it up against the ski axle.

Are you comfortable taxiing with them?

Zane

we taxi with these all the time Zane. The Sled Dog wheel ski dolly is very similar to these (except yellow) and they work just fine as long as you remember you have NO brakes!

Brad

Does anyone know if the sled dog ski dolly will work for Landes 2500's?

If it does, does anyone have contact info for them??

Thanks.

Neither the Sled Dog dolly nor the one pictured here will work with the Landes skis. These apparatus both require a second axle hole through the ski pedestal to insert the axle of the dolly. The Landes skis do not have such an opening, and there is no place to attach the dolly eccentric.


Sled DOg is no the internet. They're in Brainerd, MN.

MTV

UP_M5,
What size stock did you use for the piece that goes through the ski? Is it 1 1/2"? What do you use to keep it in the ski? The sled dog uses cotter pins. Thanks for the info.

-12 Flyer wrote:UP_M5,
What size stock did you use for the piece that goes through the ski? Is it 1 1/2"? What do you use to keep it in the ski? The sled dog uses cotter pins. Thanks for the info.

i originally used 1.5" dia, but this spring i rebuilt them with 1.625" sleeves.
to retain them i just welded a small bead that 'catches' on the edge of the ski. it works well, as the weight of the plane hlods them in place.